Method and User Equipment for Predicting Available Throughput for Uplink Data

1. A controller coupled to a user equipment, wherein the user equipment is in communication with a base station over a radio link in a wireless communications network, the controller comprising: a memory storing computer instructions; and a processor configured to execute the computer instructions to: obtain first information about a past uplink scheduling of the user equipment; obtain a first radio quality measure related to the radio link; and determine an estimated throughput for uplink data to be sent from the user equipment to the base station over the radio link, the determining being based on: a relationship between the first information about the past uplink scheduling and previously obtained information about the past uplink scheduling; a relationship between the first radio quality measure and a previously obtained radio quality measure; and a previously obtained throughput for the uplink data, the previously obtained throughput being associated with the previously obtained information about the past uplink scheduling and the previously obtained radio quality measure; and control the user equipment to optimize a quality of service based on the estimated throughput.

2. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein in obtaining the first information about the past uplink scheduling, the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to: for a past uplink scheduling performed at a Transmission Time Interval (TTI), obtain at least one of: the number of physical resource blocks that are scheduled for the user equipment for a priority class; the total number of physical resource blocks in a cell where the user equipment is located; and information about a buffer status of the user equipment, the information about the buffer status indicating at least an amount of uplink data per priority class.

3. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the radio quality measure comprises at least one of a Channel Quality Information (CQI) value or a transmission rank.

4. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein in response to the user equipment being located in a cell served by the base station, the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to: determine an estimated cell load of the cell based on the first information about the past uplink scheduling of the user equipment; and determine the estimated throughput, further based on a relationship between the estimated cell load and a previously obtained cell load.

5. The controller according to claim 4 , wherein the cell load is at least one of a current or a future cell load of the cell.

6. The controller according to claim 4 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to cause the user equipment to: optimize the quality of service based on the estimated cell load.

7. The controller according to claim 4 , wherein: the previously obtained cell load is associated with the previously obtained information about the past uplink scheduling; and the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to: determine the estimated cell load based on the relationship between the first information about the past uplink scheduling and the previously obtained information about the past uplink scheduling.

8. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to cause the user equipment to: display the estimated throughput on a screen of the user equipment; receive a user input in response to the displayed estimated throughput; and optimize the quality of service further based on the user input.

9. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to cause the user equipment to: display the estimated cell load on a screen of the user equipment; receive a user input in response to the displayed estimated cell load; and optimize the quality of service further based on the user input.

10. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the computer instructions to: determine at least one of: an actual throughput for uplink data to be sent from the user equipment to the base station over the radio link, or an actual cell load of a cell where the user equipment is located, the actual cell load being associated with the actual throughput; and store, in a storage device, at least one of: the actual throughput, the actual cell load, a radio quality measure associated with the actual throughput, or information about an uplink scheduling associated with the actual throughput.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program code executable by a controller, wherein when the controller is coupled to a user equipment that is in communication with a base station over a radio link in a wireless communications network, the execution of the program code causes the controller to: obtain first information about a past uplink scheduling of the user equipment; obtain a first radio quality measure related to the radio link; and determine an estimated throughput for uplink data to be sent from the user equipment to the base station over the radio link, the determining being based on: a relationship between the first information about the past uplink scheduling and previously obtained information about the past uplink scheduling; a relationship between the first radio quality measure and a previously obtained radio quality measure; and a previously obtained throughput for the uplink data, the previously obtained throughput being associated with the previously obtained information about the past uplink scheduling and the previously obtained radio quality measure; and control the user equipment to optimize a quality of service based on the estimated throughput.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11 , wherein in obtaining the first information about the past uplink scheduling, the execution of the program code further causes the controller to: for a past uplink scheduling performed at a Transmission Time Interval (TTI), obtain at least one of: the number of physical resource blocks that are scheduled for the user equipment for a priority class; the total number of physical resource blocks in a cell where the user equipment is located; and information about a buffer status of the user equipment, the information about the buffer status indicating at least an amount of uplink data per priority class.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11 , wherein the radio quality measure comprises at least one of a Channel Quality Information (CQI) value or a transmission rank.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11 , wherein in response to the user equipment being located in a cell served by the base station, the execution of the program code further causes the controller to: determine an estimated cell load of the cell based on the first information about the past uplink scheduling of the user equipment; and determine the estimated throughput, further based on a relationship between the estimated cell load and a previously obtained cell load.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 14 , wherein the cell load is at least one of a current or a future cell load of the cell.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 14 , wherein the execution of the program code further causes the user equipment to: optimize the quality of service based on the estimated cell load.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 14 , wherein: the previously obtained cell load is associated with the previously obtained information about the past uplink scheduling; and the execution of the program code further causes the controller to: determine the estimated cell load based on the relationship between the first information about the past uplink scheduling and the previously obtained information about the past uplink scheduling.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11 , wherein the execution of the program code further causes the user equipment to: display the estimated throughput on a screen of the user equipment; receive a user input in response to the displayed estimated throughput; and optimize the quality of service further based on the user input.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11 , wherein the execution of the program code further causes the user equipment to: display the estimated cell load on a screen of the user equipment; receive a user input in response to the displayed estimated cell load; and optimize the quality of service further based on the user input.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11 , wherein the execution of the program code further causes the controller to: determine at least one of: an actual throughput for uplink data to be sent from the user equipment to the base station over the radio link, or an actual cell load of a cell where the user equipment is located, the actual cell load being associated with the actual throughput; and store, in a storage device, at least one of: the actual throughput, the actual cell load, a radio quality measure associated with the actual throughput, or information about an uplink scheduling associated with the actual throughput.